Amnesty International activist who were arrested in Turkey for security charges are reportedly expected to receive sentences as long as 15 years in prison.

15-year sentence has been requested by Turkish prosecutors for AI activists in Turkey. Amnesty International human organization acted against the vast and undocumented detentions and torture of prisoners in Turkish jails.

The AI detainees were arrested last July for “membership of a terrorist organization.” Of the 11 activists detained in July, 8 persons are still in custody according to DHA news agency.

Idil Eser, Amnesty International’s Turkey Director, together with other 10 activists of the human rights organization was detained on the island of Buyukada off Istanbul’s coast during a human rights conference on July 5. Ankara accused Amnesty International activists of plotting another coup attempt in the country and of being associated with the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, referred to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) by Turkey.

In July 2016, a failed military coup took place in Turkey, leaving over 240 people killed and some 2,000 injured. After the incident, Ankara introduced a national state of emergency, facilitating waves of arrests across the country which targeted mostly officials, legal and educational workers over their alleged ties to the movement of the US-based Gulen, who nevertheless rejected the accusations of and condemned the coup attempt.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president who survived the coup, also held a referendum in previous months to prolong his administration period and expand his power as the country’s leader over military and administrative apparatus. The country is still oppressing activists and human rights groups by accusing them of having ties with last year’s coup.